This is inspired by Celrock's story The Importance of Medicine. I did some research fro this chapter, but some of it is made up.
Ji Yeon was recovering nicely from her kidney transplant. After a month off from pre school she was ready to return until she got the chicken pox and couldn't go. She eventually got over them, but still wasn't allowed to return to pre school. It was now October, which meant cold season. Ji Yeon had been on anti rejection medication for a month now and she hated it. She took it fine at first but it had some unpleasant side affects. It was easier for her to get sick, so she had to avoid crowds.
Ji Yeon sat stubbornly at the table waiting to eat her breakfast. She couldn't have it until she took her medicine.
"Just take it and then you can eat." Mi Sun told her for the third time that morning.
"No. It tastes yucky." Ji Yeon whined and layed her head on the table.
"I know you don't like it, but you have to take it or you'll go back in the hospital. Is that what you want?" Mi Sun asked.
"No." Ji Yeon answered. The mdicine made it easier for her to get sick and Halloween was coming up in a few weeks. This was the first year she could actually get to go trick or treating. Ji Yeon opened her mouth and pretended to swallow. She spit the yucky meidicine into her juice box and then began eating her now cold breakfast.
"Did you have to take the yucky medicine again?" Dil asked from the tablet screen.
"No. I just pretended to." Ji Yeon answered with a smile.
Dil gave her a thumbs up. He missed his friend at pre school. However he did have a few friends to play with when Ji Yeon was out sick.
"Are you ever coming back to school?" Dil askedtaking a bite of his Reptar cookie that he was eating for an afterschool snack.
"No." Ji Yeon shook her head."I can't go back until I get used to the medicine."
"Then maybe if you take it more, you can come back sooner." Dil reasoned.
"Maybe, but I really don't like it." Ji yeon said making a face.
They ended the call soon after since Dil had some friends coming over. Ji Yeon was feeling lonely. Her mom was going back to work the next day and the only person who she could stay with was her cousin, who was in college, but took classes online so she could help out. Ji Yeon decided to watch tv until her older siblings came home from school. They eventually arrived home and Ji Yeon wasted no time in asking them to play.
"Homework." All three older kids answered at the same time and went to the kitchen table to get the dreaded task over with.
"I can play now." Min Ho offered coming over and sittiing on the couch.
"Will you teach me how to play go fish?" Ji Yeon asked getting her Finding Dory cards from the shelf.
"Sure." Min Ho said taking the cards from her and passing them out. Ji Yeon caught on quickly and they played several games until dinner.
The next morning Ji Yeon started to put up a fight, but then she remembered what Dil said.
"If I take my medicine can I go back to school?" She asked her parents.
"You probably can't go to school until next year, but you still have to take the medicine." Mi Sun answered.
"Then why do I have to take it if you said I can't go to school cause I might get sick." Ji yeon asked in whiny voice.
Mi Sun sighed. This was really hard to explain to a three year old."It'll keep you out of the hospital and you can't go to school because you might get sick."
Ji Yeon sighed and once again pretended to take the medicine. Her parents left for work as soon as her cousin arrived to watch her for the day.
"What do you want to do today?" Mun Hee asked joining Ji Yeon on the couch.
"I don't know. I can't do anything fun anymore." Ji Yeon grumbled crossing her arms.
"I think I know something we can do since everyone is at school and work." Mun Hee said.
"What?" Ji Yeon asked suddenly becoming excited.
"We can go see a movie." Mun Hee answered.
"Ok." Ji Yeon agreed and ran to the door to get her shoes on.
They arrived at the theatre to find it mostly empty except for the workers and a few people. There was only one kids movie playing so they went to that one. Ji Yeon got candy, soda, and pop corn. They sat in the empty theatre and waited for the movie to start. Ji Yeon was surprised when a Frozen short played before the movie.
"I thought we're going to see Coco, not Olaf?" She whispered.
"We are. This just plays before." Mun Hee whispered back.
"What did you think?" Mun Hee asked oce the movie was out and they were walking to the car.
"i like the Olaf movie better, but the songs are good even if I don't understand what they say." Ji Yeon answered.
They stopped at a fried chicken place that everyone loved because the chicken was slightly sweet and they had the best waffle fries and sweet tea.
"Can we go to the park and eat? My booty hurts from sitting so long." Ji Yeon asked once they placed their order.
"Sure." Mun Hee answered as theri order arrived. They got back in the car and headed for the park. They ate their lunch and afterwards Ji Yeon was allowed to play.
"Will you spin me?" Ji Yeon asked stading next to a yellow pole with a round seat and a round wheel that you turn to make it spin. Mun Hee came over and started to make the toy spin.
"You better not throw up on me." She commented continueing to make the toy spin.
"You're going to fast." Ji Yeon yelled. Mun Hee stopped the toy and Ji Yeon got off. she felt very dizzy and almost fell down. She threw up soon after.
"I think we should go home now." Mun Hee said handing Ji Yeon her drink.
"I don't want to go home yet." Ji Yeon pouted as she swallowed her drink.
Mun Hee checked her phone and noticed they still had some time before school let out.
"Well what do you want to do now?" She asked the younger girl.
"Toy store?" Ji Yeon asked.
Mun Hee complied and they drove to the toy store. Ji Yeon went straight for the doll section.
"Will you buy this for me please?" She begged holding up a singing Moana doll.
"Ok, but now we have to go home." Mun Hee agreed. Ji Yeon nodded and they paid and left for home.
Ji Yeon was worn out from the days events and fell asleep on the way home. Mun Hee put her in her room and got to work on some school stuff she had due soon.
The days became more the same for Ji Yeon. She still refused to take her medicine, but didn't let her parents know. Mun Hee took her out when she could, but didn't want to do it to much so Ji Yeon wouldn't get sick. Some time had passed and Ji Yeon started to not feel so good.
Mun Hee noticed Ji Yeon was becoming less active. She didn't complain on the days when they did nothing but watch movies and tv. She no longer wanted to go out and have fun like she did at first.
"I think something's wrong with Ji Yeon." Mun Hee voiced her concern when her aunt had returned from work one evening.
Mi Sun went over to her daughter who was laying on the couch covered with a blanket. She knelt down and felt her forehead.
"She's burning up." She commented standing back up.
"She said her stomach hurts and she doesn't feel good." Mun Hee explained.
"I hope I'm wrong about this." Mi Sun sitting beside Ji Yeon and lifting up her shirt. She gently pressed where her kidney was.
"Ow." Ji Yeon said and turned away from her mother.
"I think she's rejecting the kidney." Mi Sun commented lifting her daughter off the couch."Can you watch the other kids?"
Mun Hee nodded. Mi Sun nodded in thanks and rushed out the door with her daughter. she called Jin on the way to the hospital and he met them there.
"Hoe did this happen?" He asked."I thought the medicine was supposed to keep this from happening."
"It was." Mi Sun answered laying her daughter in the hospital bed so she could be hooked up to machines to help save her life.
"She needs a new kidney." Dr Robbins said after assessing how serious the situation was."We'll get her on the donor list, but we need to find a match fast. I'd call all of your family and have them come in for testing."
Jin called the family at home while Mi Sun called her parents in Korea. Her parents agreed to fly out on the earliest flight.
Thirty minutes later Mun Hee arrived with her other three couisns to get tested. A few hours later the tests came back and Mun Hee was a match, so they scheduled the surgery for the following morning. Mun Hee called her parents back to tell them the news but they wanted to come anyway.
"Thanks for doing this." Mi Sun told her neice, who was laying in the bed next to Ji Yeon's.
"No problem. I feel like it's my fault anyway." Mun Hee said looking down at her hands.
"Why would you think that?" Mi Sun asked.
"Because I took her out a few times." Mun Hee admitted.
"That had nothing to do with this." Mi Sun assured her.
"Then how did she get so sick?" Mun Hee asked looking her aunt in the eye.
"Sometimes these things just happen." Mi Sun then walked out of the room leaving the girls to sleep before the big day.
The next morning everyone including Mi Sun's parents arrived at the hospital. Once surgery began everyone waited anxiously for news. A few hours later Dr Robbins and Dr Grey came to see them.
"Everything went fine." Dr Robbins informed them with a smile. Everyone was relieved to have a good outcome. A few days later the girls were sent home to recover.
"Here." Mi Sun said placing a spoon of liquid in front of Ji Yeon's mouth. To her surprise Ji Yeon opened her mouth and took the medicine willingly.
"You like taking the mdicine now?" Min Jun asked just as surprised as his parents and siblings.
"No but i don't want to get sick like that again." Ji Yeon replied after taking a sip of juice to get rid of the nasty tasting medicine.
"Can we go get our costumes today?" Min Jun asked eagerly.
"Can I go trick or treating please?" Ji Yeon begged.
"Yes and yes, but you." Mi Sun pointed at Ji Yeon have to wear this." She held up a small surgical mask so Ji Yeon's mouth and nose would be covered.
"Will you take me to get a costume?" Ji Yeon asked Mun Hee.
"At this point I'll do anything to get out of this house." Mun Hee replied. She had been staying with her aunt and uncle while she recovered.
"Look they have a big one and a little one." Ji Yeon pointed to the last two Moana costumes in the store. She was wearing the mask since the store was crowded.
"I'll be Moana and you can be baby Moana." Mun Hee said grabbing the two costumes.
"Yay." Ji Yeon cheered from the cart she was sitting in. For once she didn't mind beiing the baby if it meant she still got to be Moana.
That night everyone got dressed in their costumes and had fun.
Sorry for the Halloween bit. I know it's April, but I;m trying to stick to some sort of timeline. I hope you liked this story and be looking forward to more stories soon.